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Dec
12
2014

Pope Foundation December 2014 grant recipients announced

Nearly $1.7 million given primarily to North Carolina causes RALEIGH — The John William Pope Foundation recently completed its December board meeting, awarding $1,692,500 to schools, churches, arts organizations, and community groups in its winter grant cycle. The winter grants went primarily to organizations serving the Triangle area and Vance County.  With the addition of these new grants, the Pope Foundation’s total giving for 2014 has exceeded $7.69 million. “The old ‘give a man a fish’ parable is that if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but that if you teach a man how to fish, you feed him for a lifetime,” said Art Pope, chairman of the Pope Foundation. “We believe in doing both. Our December grants provide direct humanitarian assistance to those most in need-for food, shelter, and health care. Our December grants also support education, the arts, and religion. These Pope Foundation grants will help enrich all aspects of the lives of the people of North Carolina.” Substantial grants were awarded to White Memorial Presbyterian Church of Raleigh and Transitions LifeCare (formerly Hospice of Wake County) in honor of the late Joyce Wilkins Pope, who passed away in May.  Joyce W. Pope served as the Pope Foundation’s president from its founding in 1986 until 1992, and was the wife of the late John William Pope, founder of the Pope Foundation and longtime president of Variety Wholesalers. Joyce L. Pope is vice president of the foundation and granddaughter of Joyce W. and John William Pope. “My grandparents cared deeply about the well being of people, and in particular my grandmother loved the arts,” she said. “We miss them dearly, but to be able to honor organizations in which they were deeply vested is rewarding. They would be so pleased to know how many more people will benefit from the care and services of these grantees.” A full list of December grant awards can be found below. The Foundation’s philanthropic vision is rooted in meeting real human needs, both in the short-term, through humanitarian aid, and in the long-term, through liberty-oriented organizations that foster a freer, more prosperous society so that individuals have the opportunity to provide for themselves and their loved ones.  For more information about the Pope Foundation and its grants, please visit www.jwpf.org.
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Mar
5
2014

Pope Foundation announces new grant to North Carolina Museum of Art

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Raleigh, NC — The North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) has received a grant from the John William Pope Foundation for $25,000 in support of the Museum’s School Bus Scholarship Fund. The NCMA School Bus Scholarship Fund, which was launched in 2008 to provide funding to North Carolina schools requiring financial assistance to transport students to the Museum, must be replenished annually. Each year nearly 1,000 students from approximately nine schools visit the Museum with support from the School Bus Scholarship Fund. The John William Pope Foundation’s $25,000 grant will not only allow the NCMA to continue the program but will also allow it to serve an additional three to five schools. “This grant will ensure that more students from across North Carolina will experience the treasures of their state’s art museum,” said Museum director Lawrence J. Wheeler. “We are incredibly thankful for the support from the John William Pope Foundation, as it helps guarantee that students will have the opportunity to visit the Museum’s collection despite their school’s geographic distance and financial limitations.” “We were honored to add the North Carolina Museum of Art to our 2013 grants portfolio,” said Joyce L. Pope, Vice President of the John William Pope Foundation. “Without the School Bus Scholarship Fund, many children in our community wouldn’t have access to the Museum’s collection. We’re excited to play a small role in helping the Museum and educators bring art into students’ lives.” To participate in the School Bus Scholarship Fund program, schools must demonstrate financial need as measured by the percentage of children enrolled in a free lunch program or other special circumstances. Each participating school may request up to three buses (55 students per bus) per visit. The NCMA selected Horizon Charter Service to transport school groups to the Museum. Horizon Charter Service is on the Department of Public Instruction’s approved charter list, and all drivers have undergone background checks. Source: John William Pope Foundation
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Jun
21
2013

Putting Faith Into Practice Through Giving

The Pope Foundation’s new Liberty Leader focuses on Jim Anthony, a businessman in commercial real estate who uses his wealth to help others and advance the values he holds dear: For Jim Anthony, it all began in 1983. An MBA graduate from Duke University, Jim had spent the last four years working as a brokerage professional in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles when he decided to move his family back to North Carolina. He took a job with a local commercial real estate firm, Carolantic Realty, and that’s when he “woke up” to the importance of personal philanthropy. “Up until then, I was politically disconnected,” Jim said. “In my Christian faith, I was nominal. Then Steve Stroud, my boss, showed me the importance of investing in our community, both through political involvement and personal giving.” That, plus some financial wake-up calls in the last real estate collapse in the late 1980s, set Jim on a three-decade course of philanthropic commitment, consisting of political engagement with candidates, public policy organizations, as well as faith groups that share his values. Along the way, Jim founded his own commercial real estate business in Raleigh. Today, he serves as CEO of Colliers International Raleigh/Durham and still uses his success to bless others when and where he can. “My goal is to see the results of my philanthropy while I’m still living,” Jim said. “Generosity is for now — today. I want to see where the money goes and ensure that it’s helping people and supporting good values.” Read more here.
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Mar
19
2013

Bringing the Timeless Themes of Opera to the Triangle

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The Pope Foundation’s new Grantee Profile focuses on the North Carolina Opera, the Triangle area’s world-class company: Which fine art form beautifully connects an audience with hundreds of thousands of other people, people who lived in a different time and place in history? Which of the fine arts combines all of the fine arts into one seamless performance? Answer: The opera. And North Carolinians are fortunate to have an outstanding company in the state’s capital city of Raleigh. Since its creation in 2010, the North Carolina Opera has brought world-class performances to the Triangle area, giving residents an opportunity to see the present in light of the past. “The themes in opera are timeless, so that even music written hundreds of years ago is completely relevant today. Opera is a reflection of this common human experience,” said Eric Mitchko, General Director of the N.C. Opera. Like other classical forms of art in the western tradition, opera has a rich history. Its origins date back to the late 16th century in Europe. Some of the most highly acclaimed operas — including “Carmen,” “The Marriage of Figaro,” and “The Magic Flute” — date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Opera combines elements of all the fine arts — singing, dancing, theatre, the visual arts, and others — into a truly transcendent, beautiful experience. Read more Grantee Profiles here.
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Dec
13
2012

Pope Foundation Makes $810,500 in Grants to Community Charities, Schools, Churches, and the Arts

RALEIGH, N.C. DEC. 13, 2012 — The John William Pope Foundation has announced its December cycle of grants — $810,500 in giving to community charities, schools, churches, and the arts. “We’re privileged to continue supporting these organizations that help so many in our community,” said Art Pope, President and Chairman of the Pope Foundation. “In these difficult times in North Carolina, families continue to struggle. These humanitarian organizations provide a helping hand for those in need.” With the 2012 cycle of grants, the Pope Foundation added four new charities to its grantee list: SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals: Provides housing, healing, and hope to families with an adult patient being treated for a critical illness or injury at UNC Hospitals or its affiliated clinics. The Green Chair Project: Accepts gently used furniture and household items and re-sells them at a significant markdown to the working poor. Families benefit, and so does the environment because furniture that otherwise might end up in a landfill is reused. Helping Horse Therapeutic Riding Program: Provides horseback riding lessons for special-needs children. Therapeutic horseback riding has proven physical, mental, and psychological benefits for individuals with disabilities. Miracle League of the Triangle: Offers an opportunity for special-needs children to play baseball. For more information, interviews, or details on the application process, contact Dave Riggs or David Bass at 919-861-6445 or press@jwpf.org. ABOUT THE POPE FOUNDATION The John William Pope Foundation, located in Raleigh, North Carolina, works to improve the well-being of the citizens of North Carolina and the nation through the advancement of individual freedom and personal responsibility. From its first grant in 1986 to the present, the Foundation’s giving has totaled over $100 million, primarily to charities and organizations in North Carolina. The Foundation is a private family foundation supported by the late John William Pope Sr. and his wife, Joyce W. Pope, and their children: their late son, John William Pope Jr.; Amanda Pope; and Art Pope. The Pope Foundation receives additional support from the family’s business, Variety Wholesalers Inc., which owns and operates Roses, Maxway, Super 10, and other discount stores, and has its offices and distribution centers in Raleigh and Henderson, North Carolina. DECEMBER GRANTEES: $10,000 — Alliance Medical Ministry $10,000 — Barium Springs Home for Children $10,000 — Blessed Sacrament School $5,000 — Capitol Commission $25,000 — Carolina Ballet $5,000 — Disabilities Education Support Center $5,000 — Food Bank of Central and Eastern N.C. $25,000 — Full Gospel Tabernacle $5,000 — Godwin Presbyterian Church $5,000 — Green Chair Project $10,000 — H. Leslie Perry Memorial Library $10,000 — Habitat for Humanity of Wake County $5,000 — Helping Horse $5,000 — Henderson YMCA $5,000 — Hope Reins $10,000 — Hospice of Wake County Foundation $5,000 — Interfaith Food Shuttle $3,000 — Lifeline Outreach $5,000 — Miracle League of the Triangle $10,000 — N.C. Opera $25,000 — N.C. Symphony $25,000 — N.C. Theatre $5,000 — N.C. Youth Legislative Assembly Administration $2,500 — Neuse Christian Academy $50,000 — Occoneechee Boy Scouts Council $5,000 — Performance Edge $25,000 — Prevent Child Abuse N.C. $25,000 — Raleigh Charter High School $25,000 — Raleigh Fine Arts Society $5,000 — Raleigh Rescue Mission $25,000 — Ravenscroft School $5,000 — Safe Haven for Cats $5,000 — Salvation Army of Wake County $25,000 — SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals $5,000 — Shepherd’s Table $25,000 — StepUp Ministry $225,000 — The Asheville School $10,000 — United Way of Vance County $10,000 — Upper Room Christian Academy $5,000 — Vance County Historical Society $25,000 — Virginia Episcopal School $50,000 — White Memorial Presbyterian Church $30,000 — YMCA of the Triangle
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